At New Jersey museum, getting older is a virtual reality

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — A new exhibit at a science museum in New Jersey lets people get a virtual experience of what life is like as you age.

The exhibition that opened Friday at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City shows people what it feels, sounds and looks like to be elderly with the help of a high-tech exoskeleton equipped with virtual reality goggles.

The Age Suit is a collaboration between the California-based Applied Minds and Genworth Financial, which sells long-term care insurance.

The co-creator of the R70i Age Suit, Bran Ferren, says the suit simulates several ailments of old age such as glaucoma, macular degeneration and a hearing problem that produces ringing in the ears.